


The Legend of Siegbert

by wyvernlordminerva



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M, and anna is there too, and is bad at flutes, shiro swears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 15:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8107750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernlordminerva/pseuds/wyvernlordminerva
Summary: The ShinoSieg Spirit Tracks AU that literally no one asked for, but made me laugh at 2 in the morning





	

The castle looked much better from the inside, Shiro decided. Small town engineers like himself weren’t usually invited to mingle with the royal family, but today was a special occasion. Today was the day Shiro became a certified Royal Engineer, as granted by the Prince of Hyrule himself, and he was going to enjoy it regardless of how much the creepy chancellor wanted him to suffer.

“Now, don’t you try anything funny,” Iago said, sneering at him as though Shiro was an insult simply for breathing near him, “You will bow, His Highness will give you your certificate, and then you will leave. If you move one hair out of place, I’ll blast you off the face of the earth. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Shiro said.

“You will address me as ‘sir’, insolent child!”

“Whatever you say, sir.” Iago looked as though he were about to explode into another scolding, but right on time, the guards opened the doors to the throne room. Fuming, he shoved Shiro in, and had him bow as he waited for the prince.

A few moments later, he heard the doors to the side squeak open and footsteps tap on the tile. A pair of black shoes stopped in front of him, and, on impulse, Shiro raised his head.

Oh. He felt his face heat up. No one told him the prince was cute.

“How dare you!” Iago screeched, smacking Shiro across the back of his head. “Lifting your head without permission? Why, I-”

“Iago, please, that won’t be necessary,” Siegbert said, voice even-tempered and kind. He offered Shiro an apologetic smile, and the unfortunate reality of their differing circumstances hit him like a brick. “You are Shiro, yes?”

Shiro nodded shakily. He was half-expecting Iago to hit him again for his nerves.

“Well, Shiro…” He quietly realized he would never hear his name spoken that beautifully again, and savoured the sensation. “By the power vested in me-”

“Your Highness, can’t you hurry it up?” Iago’s hideous goblin voice interrupted, “Some of us have actual responsibilities.”

Shiro would never wish harm on another human being, but he did know a girl with a fascination for the dark arts who was looking for a new test subject. Could he pull one of his hairs without him noticing?

Prince Siegbert sighed, presumably exasperated from dealing with that awful man day in and day out, and motioned to his retainer, who brought him a certificate.

“I hereby recognize Shiro as our newest Royal Engineer.” He passed the paper to Shiro, secretly sliding him something else along with it. Prince Siegbert gave him a sharp look, imploring him not to acknowledge it. “Work hard, Shiro, for we all rely on you.” And with those last words, the prince left as quickly as he had appeared. Iago aggressively motioned for him to leave, and that was his taste of high society for his lifetime.

He anxiously clutched Prince Siegbert’s letter as he walked back to his train. Imagination racing with the thought of the prince, of all things, writing something special for him, he could hardly keep himself from tearing it open right there.

“Hey, Shiro! How’d it go?” Asugi, his partner, shouted as he saw Shiro approached. He was so lost in his mind, he couldn’t think of a response before Asugi noticed the letter in his hands, gracefully signed in Prince Siegbert’s impeccable cursive. “What’s that?”

“N-nothing!” Shiro stuttered. Asugi hummed in suspicion, then snatched the paper out of his hands before he could react.

“Ooh, fancy paper. Got an admirer?” he said. Shiro had to keep himself from screeching as he took it back, trying to appear calm without much success.

“Can’t a guy get some privacy?” he said. Asugi gave him a knowing look, but went back into the train to give him some space. Shiro ripped open the top and read Prince Siegbert’s note.

_Dear Shiro,_

_I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I have a great favor I must ask of you in person. Enclosed is a map of the castle; you can follow the secret path I have marked to my room._

_Show this to no one._

“Oh my god, Asugi, look at this!” he called out, “The prince wants to meet with me. Privately.”

“Seriously?” Asugi scanned the letter. “Well, what do you know? Not bad.”

“‘Not bad’? Dude, he’s the prince!” Shiro fondly remembered the words of his mother: “Son, marry rich.”

“Yeah, so you shouldn’t keep him waiting.” He blinked, letting the information set in, then sprinted back to the castle.

* * *

Siegbert could’ve mentioned the place was teeming with guards, but, to be fair, that should’ve been obvious. Somehow, he managed to reach the royals’ balconies, and he really hoped the trellis he had climbed like a 60’s cliche didn’t lead to the king’s room. He didn’t think he could explain to King Xander why he was trying to sneak into his son’s quarters.

He knocked on the glass doors, looking over his shoulder to ensure he wasn’t drawing attention.

“Oh, you came!” Prince Siegbert answered, seeming genuinely excited to see him, “To be honest, I thought you wouldn’t show. Please, come in.”

The prince had changed into more casual clothing after the ceremony, but he still seemed just as immaculate. Similarly, his room didn’t have an aspect out of place. In fact, it was actually so perfect, Shiro wasn’t certain Prince Siegbert actually lived here. The only exception was his desk, which had all sorts of documents piled on top and a strange-looking flute resting above everything. He seemed to be researching something.

“So, you had something to ask me?” Shiro said, hoping he hadn’t been caught staring.

“Yes, unfortunately,” the prince began, pulling the chair out from his desk, “You might want to take a seat.”

As Shiro sank into the heaven that was down feathers and soft materials, he briefly considered the benefits of quitting his job and becoming a gold digger. Seemingly unaffected by his loud proclamation of this, Siegbert began to speak.

“As you know, the Spirit Tracks that crisscross Hyrule keep the Demon King imprisoned. They’ve also been steadily disappearing.” Shiro thought back to the rumors he’d heard about trains derailing for seemingly no reason. He could believe it. “Something must be going on at the Tower of Spirits, but Chancellor Iago forbids me from leaving the castle. Ergo…”

“You want me to sneak you out?” Shiro asked.

“That’s the general idea.” Shiro thought for a moment.

“…Isn’t that kidnapping?”

“Only if you get caught.” Siegbert said.

“Well, when you put it that way, I have no choice but to help,” Shiro said.

“Don’t worry, I have a guard’s uniform you can borrow.”

* * *

“Hey, man!” Asugi called out, seeing Shiro approaching at an alarmingly high speed, “So how’d it-” He noticed his companion. “…Uh.”

“Hello, You’re Shiro’s friend, yes?” the prince said, smiling warmly, “I’m Prince Siegbert. We’ll have the opportunity for more formal introductions later.”

“…Cool.” Asugi shot Shiro a look, silently judging his wardrobe change. “I not even going to ask.”

“Great! We don’t have time for answers,” Shiro said, hopping into the train and motioning for Asugi to join him. A commotion rose from the people behind them. “To the Tower of Spirits we go!”

Everyone boarded, and they were off, leaving the unexplained chaos to fester in Castle Town. The situation as a whole was far too awkward for small talk, however, and Shiro found the silence overly stifling. He amused himself by periodically sounding the whistle.

“Okay, stop that. It’s obnoxious,” Asugi said, glaring.

“Fine, whatever, murderer of joy and happiness-” A violent screech. The train quaked as the wheels grinded against a now-trackless ground, and Shiro slammed the brakes for dear life. Their cart jerked roughly to the side, Asugi ungracefully falling out with an ‘oof!’, and stilled. Shiro stumbled out into the dirt, Asugi groaning beside him. Prince Siegbert emerged perfectly unharmed, somehow, and gave them a worried look.

“Are you two alright?” he asked. Asugi gave him a thumbs up. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, it just suddenly-” Shiro looked up from his bruises to see totally empty plains all around him. “Oh.”

“Woah, the rumors were true…” Asugi breathed, both horrified and impressed. Siegbert groaned loudly.

“Urgh, it’ll be impossible to get to the tower now! How are we supposed to-” A loud boom, almost like a thunderclap, echoed from the direction of the Tower of Spirits. Dark clouds gathered in the sky as breaks grew in the stone, the group watching in horror as the tower shook and crumbled to pieces. Shiro could see the prince’s determination crack with every fragment hitting the ground. They hardly noticed the cold seeping into the air as a mysterious fog surrounded them.

“Really, Your Highness, you’re not supposed to wander off…” a familiar shrill sighed.

“Iago? What-” Siegbert almost screamed. The chancellor was no longer human, his skin an undead purple color and form warped.

“My, was this charade exhausting,” he said, “No one told me that ‘chancellor’ was just another word for _royal babysitter_!”

“So it was you?” Siegbert said, “You did this?” Iago grinned mockingly.

“Oh, dearest Prince Siegbert, you were never supposed to figure it out. Now you’ve forced me to reveal my hand early.” Iago sighed, then turned to the prince with a sharp glare. “Not that it matters. With the Spirit Tracks gone and the Tower of Spirits destroyed, there’s only one last thing I need…” He cackled, a disturbing rasp, and began to gather a dark magic in his hands. Shiro immediately leaped into action.

“Prince Siegbert, run!” he shouted, recklessly charging the demon. Siegbert looked for a route of escape.

“Where?” he yelled back.

“Anywhere! Just- gack!” Iago swatted him away with a bolt of magic, throwing him to the ground.

“Shiro!” Siegbert screamed.

“Don’t worry man, I’m coming!” Asugi shouted, rushing the demon the same way SHiro had moments ago. Unsurprisingly, he met with the same fate. Iago laughed, glowing with an otherworldly power.

“N-no! Don’t come any closer!” the prince pleaded. The demon fired a beam of strange energy, and Siegbert collapsed with a shriek, eerily still as a blue light rose out of his body and floated away. Iago lifted his limp form, slinging him over his shoulder as Shiro watched in anguish. He reached for Siegbert one last time, before the demon teleported away and his vision faded.

* * *

Usually, Shiro woke up to the sounds of chirping birds and Asugi sounding the train whistle right next to his house, but today, he was met with endless and noisy chatter all around him, and an unbearable ache in his head. Groaning, he shoved his face deeper into his pillow, which was absurdly soft. Almost as comfy as that chair in Siegbert’s study-

Shiro shot up in his cot, alarming the soldiers teeming all over the infirmary.

“He’s awake!” one of the guards shouted. Everyone circled him expectantly. “Are you feeling alright, sir? What happened out there?” Shiro blinked as his thoughts attempted to catch up with his brain.

“Hey, give the guy some space!” the guard captain, a girl with pink hair who surprisingly didn’t look much older than him, said, motioning away her men, “Get some rest. We’ll have you file an incident report later.” Shiro looked over the other beds, finding Asugi out cold right next to him. But…

She turned to leave.

“Wait!” Shiro called, “Where’s Prince Siegbert?” The captain went still.

“Sir, you’ve seen the prince?” she said, gaze suddenly intense.

“He was right with us! And then-” Shiro froze, remembering the unsettling image of Chancellor Iago and his dark magic looming over them. “I have to go.”

“Wait, what?” Before she could properly react, Shiro was out the door and sprinting down the halls. “Hey! Catch him!”

Somewhere in the castle, a voice called for help.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” Siegbert yelled, hovering slightly above the ground. He noticed a pair of guards at a doorway and floated towards them. “Hey! Over here!” They didn’t seem to notice him, and when he reached out to get their attention, his hand passed right through their bodies. The soldiers suppressed a sudden, unexplained chill.

Siegbert would’ve felt nauseous if he had a stomach.

“This… is bad. This is really, really bad,” he murmured to himself. With a renewed sense of panic, he threw himself through the walls.

Shiro gaped. Was that…?

“Excuse me, coming through!” Shiro shouted, crashing through the guards and the doorway together. He frantically scanned the halls for any sign of the figure he’d seen.

“Hey, stop that guy!” the captain shouted, now leading a posse of soldiers after him. They were fast, but Shiro was faster. He slid off into a side hallway, grinning as the group ran right past him.

Siegbert floated by.

“Hey, wait up!” Shiro called. The prince didn’t seem to hear him, and Shiro gave chase. They twisted through the castle, Siegbert eventually slipping away into his room. Shiro carefully cracked open the door.

“I have to… Maybe I can leave a note…?” Prince Siegbert murmured to himself. He reached for his pen, only for it to pass through him like everything else. “Oh, who am I kidding? This is hopeless. It’s all my fault…”

“Prince Siegbert?” Shiro said, watching the spirit in shock.

“Ah-!” Siegbert looked as confused as he did. “Shiro, you… can see me?”

Shiro nodded shakily.

“That’s…” Siegbert’s expression shifted between joy and pain. “That’s wonderful! Now we can…” His face fell. “I-I don’t know, I-”

“Siegbert, are you…?” Shiro trailed off, neither of them wanting to finish that thought..

“I… don’t think so? I’m still here.” The prince thought for a moment. “Iago’s magic… I knew something was off with that man, but I never could’ve imagined…” He pulled his knees too his chest and sat midair. “What did he do to me?” The more Siegbert thought, the higher he drifted.

“Uh, Sieg…” The prince looked down to Shiro, suddenly noticing his proximity to the ceiling.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m a bit lighter than before,” he joked grimly and descended back to Shiro’s height.

“Siegbert, what do we do?” Shiro asked, dreading the response. The prince grimaced.

“I don’t know what we can, with the Spirit Tracks and the tower gone,” he said. “We could tell Father, but even he couldn’t fix this. I should’ve-”

“Is there any other way to the Tower of Spirits?” Shiro asked. Nope. No self-depreciation today.

“Well, there’s a way on foot, but it’s infested with monsters.”

“We have to try something. I’m not just going to sit here and let you suffer!” Shiro said, determination flashing in his eyes. Siegbert stared at him for a moment, as though in disbelief, then sighed.

“I suppose we could investigate,” he said. Shiro grinned.

“That’s the spirit!” he exclaimed. His face suddenly contorted in horror. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean-”

“I don’t mind,” the prince deadpanned. Shiro scratched his head, embarrassed.

“Er, so where’s this secret path of yours?”

“I’m not letting you go anywhere without a proper weapon,” Siegbert said. “Check my desk. There should be a generic letter of endorsement somewhere you can use.”

Shiro decided not to mention his run in with the captain and started through the documents, pushing aside the flute that obstructed them.

“Wait,” Siegbert pointed to the instrument. “Take this with you. It’s imbued with the power of the spirits; it could be useful.” Shiro picked up the flute, examining it briefly but finding nothing out of the ordinary. Tentatively, he tried playing a note.

“Prft,” went the flute.

“On second thought, best not to run off with a royal treasure you can’t even use. Put it back.” Offended, Shiro shoved it in his bag anyway and left. “Hey, Shiro, you can’t do that! Shiro!”

* * *

“Are you sure about that weapon?” Siegbert asked, giving the lance a scrutinizing glare.

“Yep, this is the one!” he said, twirling it around with a surprising amount of grace. “What else would I pick?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was just expecting you to want a sword, for some reason.”

“Pfft, lance beats sword! That’s like, combat 101!” Shiro said. Siegbert shrugged.

“It’s enough, I suppose,” he said. “Head back down the halls; I can guide you from there.”

The Tower of Spirits, even in ruin, was a sight to behold, with delicately painted patterns reaching up its walls. The fragments themselves hadn’t seemed to had fallen yet, the magic imbued in the stone holding them together the best it could. The inside held a grand hall, empty except for the odd statue of a train sitting in the middle.

“What’s this?” Shiro asked, reaching out to feel it.

“Don’t touch that!” a voice shouted, “That’s valuable merchandise- I mean, an ancient treasure!” Startled, the pair looked for the voice’s source, and found a woman with bright red hair glaring at them.

“Oh, we’re sorry!” Siegbert said, approaching her, “You must be the ancient one who watches after this tower.”

_‘Ancient’? She looks twenty_ , Shiro thought.

“Aww, you flatter me. Just call me Anna!” she said with a grin. “And you must be the prince, yeah?”

“”That’s correct. Listen-”

“That’s quite the pallor you’ve got there. I must say, you look positively ghastly!” Siegbert stared at her in shock, unsure how to respond. “…It’s okay, you can laugh.”

“…Anyway,” he said, “There’s been an incident, of sorts.”

“Oh, I’m well aware there’s been an ‘incident’, thank you.” Not like I live here or anything, she muttered under her breath. “My power is the only thing holding everything together right now.”

“What’s going on, then?”

“Well, it’s quite simple, actually,” she said, “The magic sealing away the Demon King is completely gone, and he’s moments away from breaking into our realm.”

“W-what?” Siegbert stuttered, “But he was-”

“Trapped, yeah, but not dead,”she said. “The only thing standing in his way now is his lack of a corporeal form, and well, that front’s not looking too good either.”

“What do you mean?” Siegbert asked. Shiro felt a wave of dread wash over him.

“Well, he needs a body, and a regular human ain’t gonna cut it. They need someone special, like, for instance, an ancestor of the royal line, with ancient dragon’s blood flowing in their veins.” Anna shot the prince a look. “Your body would do just fine.”

Stunned silence. Then, his eye twitched, ever so slightly, and he frowned. That was the only warning Shiro had before Siegbert exploded.

“The Demon King? In my body?” he shrieked, “That’s _too disgusting for words_!”

He turned to Anna with a disturbingly intense expression.

“We _have_ to stop them,” he said.

“Yeah, that’s the idea,” Anna said. “If you can restore the Spirit Tracks and the Tower of Spirits, you might be able to prevent him from returning.”

“How can we do that?”

“Well, we spirits set up these sacred glyphs called ‘rail maps’ for this exact situation! The energy should be enough to bring some of the tracks back. From there, you’d just have to recharge them via the ever-convenient, monster-infested temples we set up!”

“Sure made this easy for us, huh…” Shiro muttered under his breath.

“Wonderful! Where can we find them?” Siegbert said.

“I left one upstairs. The tower’s solid enough for you to check.”

“Of course! Thank you, Anna.” Siegbert turned to the other boy, and Shiro looked into the face of pure fury. All of his self-respect withered and died under the prince’s sharp gaze.

“You have a very important mission ahead of you, Shiro. You realize this, yes?”

“Yeah, I under-”

“Do you understand? Do you? _The kingdom is in danger, Shiro!_ ”

“I know! I know! I’m just-”

“Just what? Going to sit back and let everyone die horrible deaths at the hands of the Demon King?”

“No!”

“Then head up this tower and find those sacred glyphs, Shiro! I’m waiting!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Shiro shouted, almost tripping in his haste to the stairs.

“Uh, actually, that’s a bad idea,” Anna said.

“What do you mean? You just told us to-” Siegbert said.

“Yeah, I did, but the tower is filled with traps and other dangerous obstacles to keep trespassers away. Your partner here is gonna get torn to shreds if he goes it alone.” Siegbert pursed his lips. Shiro thought back to that moment when he received that letter and regretted every decision that led his life to that moment.

“Well, I’m terribly sorry to ask this of you, Anna, but could you escort Shiro up the tower?” Siegbert asked.

“Uh, well…” Anna searched for an excuse. “Actually, this whole ‘keeping the Demon King in place’ thing is really, really tiring. Sorry.”

“Ugh. It’d take too much time to go back and get Asugi…” Siegbert mumbled, “What to do…”

“Why don’t you just go with him?” she asked. He went still for a moment.

“…Me? But I’m not sure how much help I would be in this state,” he said.

“It’s your kingdom, right? You should do something.” He mulled it over in his head, then turned to Shiro with a sigh.

“She’s right. I’ll go with you, Shiro.”

“Great,” Shiro croaked. Impending doom, an impossible quest, and a suddenly terrifying yet still pretty attractive prince for a partner. This day just got better and better.

Surprisingly, the Tower of Spirits was in much better shape on the inside. Shiro and Siegbert didn’t encounter any significant damage at all, in fact, as they climbed the stairs. Well, Shiro climbed. Siegbert flew.

“Huff- How many stairs are there?” Shiro gasped. The place was so dimly lit, he couldn’t see the top.

“Hold on a minute.” Siegbert flew to the top and back. “You’ve got a flight or two left.”

Shiro collapsed face-first into the steps.

“Come on, Shiro, we literally just started!” he said, “You can’t give up already.”

“I am going to die on this fucking staircase,” Shiro whined, voice muffled by the floor. Siegbert recoiled as if struck. “…What?”

“You _swore_!”

“Oh my fucking god.”

After entire minutes of the leg torture this tower called stairs, the pair did eventually ended up on the next floor. A large doorway sat in front of them, looming over the halls imposingly.

“Um, I don’t suppose the rail map is behind that?” Siegbert wondered aloud. Shiro groaned. Great, he’d lose his legs AND his arms today. Dejectedly, he pushed himself against the doors and heaved.

“…Is that really your best effort?” Siegbert said, judging him silently as their obstacle refused to budge, “That’s unfortunate.”

“Okay, you know what-”

Somewhere down the hall, there was an eerie echo of metal clanking against stone.

“Uh, what was that?” Shiro asked. Siegbert was still.

Another clank, and another. Soon, the room was filled with the steady sound of an armored march.

“It sounds almost like-” Siegbert gasped and pointed to something behind him. “ _Shiro_!”

“What-” A monster, some kind of phantom, emerged from the edge of the hall. The amalgamation of energy and metal flashed with cold purpose as it noticed Shiro and charged.

He didn’t even think to scream. There was nowhere to run but deeper into the corner as the otherworldly soldier raised its sword.

“No!” Siegbert yelled. He threw himself at the monster as it swung in a desperate attempt to stop it. Shiro squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain.

It never came. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and found the blade hovering an inch above his head.

Shiro screamed then. The phantom sneezed.

“Ah-!” Siegbert’s voice echoed from within the armor, “It’s- It’s dusty in here!” The phantom sneezed again.

“Siegbert…?” Shiro watched in confusion, slowly calming down from his sudden terror. “Are you in there?”

“I… think so?” Siegbert said. The armor shuddered for a moment, and then dropped the sword to the ground. “Yes… I can control this.” The armor shook again, and Siegbert stood up straight. “It feels kind of… awkward. It’s way too big.”

“Uh, that’s fine, so long as it isn’t attacking me,” Shiro said, eyeing the phantom warily. Siegbert hummed in thought.

“Oh! Maybe I can help you like this!” he said. It was hard to tell behind all that metal, but he seemed excited. He hobbled over to the doors, armor clanking unsteadily. “Come on, push with me!” Shiro shrugged and stood up to join him.

The doors creaked open, scratching the marble floors, and the pair began their real ascent. 


End file.
